Rolls Royce funding the UK's arts

[furtherfield]

I've cut and pasted a letter from Rebecca Beinart to the Tate Liverpool
regarding the call out to artists to work with Rolls Royce. She is happy for
me to circulate it to lists. If any of you do write to the Tate about this
matter please let me know. Also I'd be interested to hear of any response.
>From responses I have received I know this is an issue a lot of artists
feel
strongly about. We need to communicate this to the Tate. Ange




The Director
Tate Liverpool
Albert Dock
Liverpool
L3 4BB

20th December 2003

Re: Sponsorship by Rolls Royce


Dear Director,

As an East-Midlands based artist, I recently received an e-mail about "an
exciting opportunity for an artist to work in collaboration with Tate
Liverpool and Rolls Royce in Derby..."

I was shocked to  learn that Tate Liverpool are asking artists to work "in
collaboration with" Rolls Royce. Is the Tate Liverpool unaware that Rolls
Royce is boycotted by many people, due to its status as the second biggest
defence company in the UK? Rolls Royce themselves boast of their position as
"number two military aero-engine manufacturer, powering approximately 25% of
the world's military fleet". (www.rolls-royce.com/defence)

I understand that contemporary artists, and institutions such as the Tate,
rely on corporate sponsorship. However, there must surely be a degree of
ethical choice in deciding which companies to work with. By sponsoring the
arts, companies like Rolls Royce are getting very good PR. The artists
involved would, in turn, be promoting a company that makes a huge profit
from the arms trade, and from selling military aeroplane parts to human
rights abusing regimes. Rolls Royce has provided gas turbine aero-engine
facilities to 100 armed forces, including human rights abusing regimes such
as China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Rolls Royce provided engines to oil companies operating in Sudan, who built
a pipeline that was responsible for displacing tens of thousands of local
people. This process involved many atrocities against civilians, often
resulting in death. ('Sudan: Oil Firms Accused of Fuelling Mass Displacement
and Killing', by Victoria Brittain and Terry Macalister, The Guardian March
15, 2001)

Rolls Royce recently won a contract to continue the maintenance and
refurbishment of the Royal Navy nuclear submarine fleet. This contract,
worth up to £400 million over the next ten years, serves to enhance the
already well established links between Rolls Royce and the Ministry of
Defence. (Rolls-Royce News 14/11/01, available on the Rolls-Royce website)
Please see the Campaign Against the Arms Trade website for more information.
(www.caat.org.uk)

I can only presume that you were unaware of Rolls Royce's shocking record. I
hope that you take my concerns into account, and consider withdrawing from
your collaboration with Rolls Royce.

Yours sincerely


Rebecca Beinart